ssfully against her former employer, Price Waterhouse, represents a blatant case of discrimination against women in the workplace. Even though she has brought in more business for Price Waterhouse than any of her male competitors, Hopkins was not promoted to partner two times in a row. She won her case because the court noted that the senior partners rated her in terms of her appearance and personality, rather than her work (Padavic and Reskin 90). This case also bears tremendous relevance to the glass ceiling phenomenon when talented women are not promoted even though they have proven their worth in their careers.
Studies have shown that although women have made significant progress in management positions, only few women have reached the top echelons of their companies. A study conducted by Jodi S. Goodman, assistant professor of organizational behavior at Purdue University, showed that the number of women in management positions has risen from 18.5 percent in 1970 to more than 40 percent currently. However, only three to five percent of the women are top managers ("Women's Opportunities" 7). In another survey conducted in 1997, women have made excellent progress in getting on the boards of directors. In the "Fortune" 500 companies, the number of women board members almost doubled between 1987 and 1997 from 42.6 to 81.2 percent. However, during the same period, the number of CEOs remained the same at a dismal 2 (Dalton & Daily 18). The results for directors from within the companies are also equally discouraging. The 11 women directors in 1987 have fallen to 8 a decade later (Dalton & Daily 20).
In the workplace, women also encounter obstacles in their progress to the top. Even in traditionally female occupations, male workers are promoted instead of women (Reskin and Padavic 83). According to the national data in 1991, while 48 percent of the men had been promoted in their current occupation, only 34 percent of the women wer...